(Trinidad Guardian) The State will finance the retrenchment of 25 per cent of staff at Caribbean Airlines (CAL) at an estimated cost of TT$110 million.
This was revealed by Finance Minister Colm Imbert in the Senate yesterday after he was asked by Opposition Senator Wade Mark how the severance packages for the 450 employees would be financed.
On Monday, the airline announced it had suffered over TT$172 million in losses for the first quarter of 2021 and, in an effort to ensure a sustainable business model going forward, it would be retrenching up to 450 employees and cutting its fleet and routes.
Yesterday, Imbert said the airline was at the beginning of the consultation process for staff reduction and is finalising the exact number of personnel to be sent home.
“Caribbean Airlines does not have the required finances for the severance payments and therefore the severance payments will be financed by the Ministry of Finance,” Imbert said.
Asked by Mark the value of the severance packages, Imbert responded, “The estimate given to the Ministry of Finance at this time, which is subject to finalisation, is in the vicinity of $110 million.”
Mark also asked how the proposed retrenchment would affect CAL’s future operations.
Imbert said the airline had informed his ministry that passenger demands on its routes are forecasted to decrease in the short to medium term by both the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and CAL’s consultant, Amadeus.
He said he was told air traffic is forecasted to return to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2023. Imbert said with these predictions, CAL has decided to reduce its fleet and subsequently, its staff complement.
He was asked for a breakdown of the reduction in the fleet and responded, “I am advised and I must say I am saddened by all of this … This is not something that any of us would have wanted to see. I am advised that Caribbean Airlines is going to reduce its jet fleet to eight jet aircrafts and its turboprop fleet to five ATRs.”
That takes its fleet down from the current 16 (seven ATRs and nine Boeing 737 jets) to 13.
“Any separation of workers is directly as a consequence of the reduction in the fleet size and reduction in the routes.
“Notwithstanding reduced airline size, the routes will be operated at the highest level of safety and service,” Imbert said.
The minister said the company is putting in place support systems for any potentially affected workers. These include counselling services for them and their families, through the Employee Assistance Programme, outplacement services coordinated with the external recruiting agencies and Labour Ministry, transitional training regarding career guidance/support and financial management.
This is in addition to compensation packages employees will be entitled to upon separation.
Some international sites up to recently had described CAL as the largest airline in the Caribbean, employing 1,700 with 23 destinations, including some formerly operated by Air Jamaica.
According to data from CAL’s corporate communication manager Dionne Ligoure, the airline saw a massive reduction in passenger numbers from the two previous years.
Ligoure said in 2018, CAL transported 2,526,129 passengers. In 2019, that number increased slightly and the airline recorded 2,595,526 passengers.
In 2020, however, only 741,676 passengers were recorded.
Ligoure said the airline is still refining its strategic plan in relation to which routes will be cut and which will continue to be serviced.
She was unable to give any data about passenger travel by route, as she said it was competitively sensitive information.
Asked whether the retrenchment will be done before the mid-July timeframe announced by the Prime Minister for the reopening of the country’s borders, Ligoure said, “The consultations are taking place over the next two weeks to a month.”
Guardian Media Limited reached out to Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA) executive administrator Shelly Sadaphal, enquiring whether the union had met with the company yet to discuss the retrenchment.
Sadaphal said, “We are still awaiting communication from CAL on that.”
But Ligoure disputed this, telling GML, “I can go on record to confirm that the company contacted the union at 9.45. The detailed discussions will take place in the coming days and weeks.”
